Keeping the postal service up & running, one stamp at a time. Usually silly, sometimes cranky, occasionally a mix of the two.

Nagoya City

So much going on, I’ll hype in in bullet points right here at the top!

Snoopy!

Hamilton!

Another Postcard United Quirk: In & Outta Macau

A Very Special Postmark, & an IDGAF Hand Cancellation!

Okay, let’s get down to it…

First group of cards: STAR POWER! This cool shaped Snoopy & Woodstock card came to me from Taiwan, thanks to a Postcrossing Forum Snoopy/Peanuts tag. The back was cool, too, as you’ll see toward the bottom of this post.

From NYC: the “Ham Across America” card is a thank-you for making a donation to the Planned Parenthood Foundation of America as a special contest/fundraising promotion Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was promoting. His mother is on the national board of directors of Planned Parenthood Action Fund. No, I did not win anything, but I was really looking forward to receiving this postcard–and I already have my tickets for Hamilton’s SF run.

Second set of cards: FOOD! That lovely illustrated recipe came to me from Malaysiain another Postcrossing Forum tag. The sender writes:

I’ve been to SG, TW, Thailand, Indo but I realized I haven’t tried all the delicious cuisine in Malaysia. Malaysia is a multiracial country and also a gourmet heaven. Hope you can come and try it next time.

His country holds the very top slot on my “want to visit” list.

Spoons! They’re from Lithuania, thanks to Postcard United, and the sender wries:

I live in the capital city with my family & dog & rabbit. I love animals a lot. They always make me smile! Traveling is my passion. I haven’t been to US yet, but hopefully I’ll get a chance one day!

The next card is from Nagoya City, Japan, also via Postcard United, and the sender tells me, “I love these Japanese sweets, wagashi.”

Third set of cards: NATURE! I love this depiction of Malaysian foliage. It’s yet another Postcrossing Forum tag (can you tell I love those things?), from the same sender as the food card above. This time, he writes:

Have you ever heard about Terengganu? It’s one of the states of Malaysia and famous with islands, beaches, and other unmatched beauty. As a local, normally I went for off-road cycling/jungle trekking/hiking with my friends during the weekend. There are lots of interesting looking plants inside the wood including the Pitcher plant from the postcard. The local named it “Periuk Kera,” means monkey pot because they think monkeys drink and eat from the “pot.” Though playing in the wild was fun, there’s still some rules and taboo you must know before going to the forest and mountain. It might sound superstitious, but there’s a lot of strange and explainable things that me and my friends encounter before. But not enough space to write here.

Ugh! Just when it was getting to the good part! Well, I hope he tags me again soon. You know what, though? Look at that message above. Such a long, content-filled note! So much, in a tight, pretty neat, hand. This is what I just love to see on a postcard. Cool texture on the card, too–it even shows up in the scan.

Remains from sea creatures, arranged neatly in the sand…it’s a regular Postcrossing draw from Germany, and I like the way the card’s sender closes her message:

“…let us all hope for peace on earth!!”

Now, I’m no fan of excessive exclamation points, but it’s definitely a good time for us all to hope for peace on earth!!

Those leaves are from A Bug’s Life, and the sender is Melissa, who was writing specifically to try to get me the special Canada Post cancellation from Saint-Valentin, Quebec. It worked, as you’ll see if you scroll down. They kinda cancelled out her message, rather than the stamps, but the red ink wouldn’t have shown up well on the red stamps, anyhow. Scroll on down, and you’ll see the postal worker’s inelegant solution to make sure the stamps couldn’t be reused!

Fourth & final group of cards: MANMADE STUFF! Taipei 101 is from a Facebook friend in Canada who’s noticed my postcard postings in social media. He recently took a trip to Taiwan& China, and put out a notice to his contacts to let him know if they’d like him to send them postcards along the way. Why, yes, please!

Oh, the Macaucard! I mentioned this situation recently! One day, I clicked on Postcard United’s “send a postcard” link, and was assigned a recipient in Macau–and the very next day, I received a card from that same person! As I said in my other post, this is not the first time this has happened with old P.U. Do you have any similar experiences?

The sender of the card is also the card’s artist. She writes:

I love painting & take photo. My dream is to send my art works all over the world.

I don’t remember if I noticed at the time I received this card that the sender was also the artist. Horrible memory, so there’s another reason it’s good I do this bloggy thing with my cards.

The last card is the one with those interesting beach chairs. It’s a swap-bot trade from Berlin, Germany, and the sender tells me:

This is how a German beach looks like usually. At least at the Baltic Sea. And I love how colorful it is.

Time to look at the backs of the cards, with all the stuff I mentioned earlier, & more…